Luke Little: Everything you need to know

The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports. Little was with the big club for a week and made one appearance, allowing one run over one inning of work. He's clearing out to make space on the roster for Matthew Boyd (biceps), who is back from the injured list to start Wednesday's contest versus the Phillies.

The Cubs recalled Little from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday. Little boasts a 2.80 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 35.1 innings at the big-league level, but he's also issued 28 walks. Those control problems remained present in his first five outings with Iowa, as he had a 9:10 K:BB over 7.2 frames. It's unlikely Little will be trusted with high-leverage innings, but the Cubs were in need of fresh bullpen arms.

The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday. Little was unable to find his footing during spring training with four earned runs allowed over 4.2 frames, so he won't make Chicago's Opening Day bullpen. The 25-year-old made just wo big-league appearances last season but had a 3.46 ERA across 26 innings with the Cubs in 2024.